Romania to consult with European court over same-sex case

BUCHAREST, Romania – Romania's constitutional court says it will consult with a European court regarding the case of a same-sex American-Romanian couple who want their union to be legally recognized in Romania.

Court president Valer Dorneanu said Tuesday he was seeking information from the European Court of Justice to see how other EU countries where same-sex marriages are not legally recognized handled similar cases. The court set the next hearing for March 30

Adrian Coman, a Romanian gay rights activist, wants the court to rule that his 2010 marriage in Belgium to U.S. citizen Claibourn Robert Hamilton, is legal in the way it would be if they were a heterosexual couple. Opposition to same-sex relationships is often fierce in Romania, where homosexuality was only decriminalized in 2002.